Method and system for volume-specific treatment of ground and plants

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method and system for volume-specific treatment of ground and plants as required. The aim of the invention is to improve a method and system as above, such that the distribution of plants is scanned with complete spatial coverage and the treatment of the ground or plant condition is efficiently controlled, by simultaneously taking account of morphological, plant physiological, equipment performance and specific local properties.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is the US national phase of PCT applicationPCT/DE02/01777, filed 14 May 2002, published 21 Nov. 2002 as WO2002/091823, and claiming the priority of German patent application10123301 itself filed 14 May 2001 and German patent application10221948.6 itself filed 13 May 2002.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for the treatment of the ground orsoil] and plants as requirements dictate and in a volume-specificmanner, especially by the application/metering or dosing] of sprayagents like plant protective agents and/or fertilizers as well as water,the working of the soil, under-growth cultivation and/or the processingand handling of plants, of trees, like roadway trees or forest trees orthe like, limited area cultivations, especially vineyards and fruitorchards, hops, citrus, olives or the like, shrubs or bushes likebananas or the like, uniformly planted or nonuniformly planted regions,in which the plants are scanned with monochromatic pulsed laser beamsgenerated by an individual sensor displaced in a circulatory path andprojected onto the plants, using a traveling carrier on which the sensoris fixed, the reflected radiation spectrum is picked up from this sensorand in which the acquired spectrum is converted into optical signals andthese signals are fed to a computer which scans the signals, evaluatesthem and controls the application/metering of the spray agent doses independence upon the vegetation state, the working of the soil and theplants as well as the crop by outputting switching commands foractuation of the spray device and blower associated with the travelingcarrier and blowers and/or agricultural implements.

The invention relates further to a system for carrying out the inventionwith a traveling carrier, especially a vehicle and/or an agriculturalmachine coupled thereto. A sensor affixed to the carrier with aradiation source for outputting a pulsed laser beam, a mirror rotatableabout a vertical axis for directing the beam against leaf walls, aradiation receiver for collecting reflected radiation from the leafwalls, a computer for processing the reflected radiation and forcontrolling a spray device having nozzles fixed to the carrier, a supplyvessel for sprayed agents, whereby the nozzles are arranged at asubstantial distance from the sensor, a liquid pump for displacing thespray agent to the nozzle, valves for opening and closing the nozzlesand a blower for producing a two-phase flow.

The invention relates also to a system for carrying out the method witha traveling carrier, especially a vehicle, and/or an agriculturalimplement coupled thereto, a sensor affixed on the carrier with aradiation source for outputting a pulsed laser beam, a mirror rotatableabout a vertical axis for directing the beam onto leaf walls, aradiation receiver for collecting reflected radiation from the leafwall, a computer for processing the reflected radiation and controlledby the computer an agricultural implement affixed to the carrier wherebyat least one working element of the implement is substantially spaced ata given distance from the sensor.

In the treatment of plants with liquid plant protective agents and/orfertilizers, a certain predetermined dose of the effective material mustbe reliably applied to all of the targeted surfaces of the plants or theproblem creators thereof. For the application of such effectivematerials in limited area cultures like grapes, fruit, hops, citrus,olives, among others, blower spray units are used which apply liquiddroplets of the atomized plant-protective agent in a two-phase free flowto the targeted surfaces of the plants, to the sides and above the spraydevice as it is transported past them. The spray device thus travelsalong a path between plant rows. Depending upon the shape of thevegetation and cultivations, the plants can be so cultivated that theyform above the travel path closed vegetation cover, especially a pergolacover in the case of wine grapes or a hollow crown configuration in thecase of orchards.

For the application of local plant-protective agents in limited fieldcultures like grapes, orchards and hops, spray devices withultrasonically-controlled nozzles (see DE 39 00 221 A1, DE 39 00 223 A1)or optically-controlled or laser-controlled nozzles (see DE 195 18 058A1, EP-0 554 732 A1, EP 0 743 001 A1) are used. These known devices havemultiplicities of individual nozzles which are controlled by individualsensors. The individual sensors detect the presence of target surfacesin the sensing regions of the sensors.

From the course of the sensor signals, a yes-no decision is derived foreach height region so that the treatment of the plants can beimmediately interrupted then and there where there is no plant-liketarget surface which can be reached by the spray jet of the device.

In accordance with DE 195 18 058 A1, the plants are detected withindividual sensors disposed one above another, preferably opticalsensors, in a zonewise manner corresponding to the nozzles assigned tothe different height regions of the plants. The plants are thusrecognized only in small strips in a sampling process over theirheights. Between the sensors, horizontally growing branches or tendrilsremain unrecognized. Any information as to distance for the respectivespacing between nozzle and target which corresponds to the requisitetravel path for the droplets of the sprayed agent is not available. Thismeans that for the application of the spray agent, an anticipatoryopening and closing of the spray nozzle cannot be achieved and thus theprocessing agent in zones which are spaced from the spray device, forexample open apexes of a tree or vine, are not reliably coated in atargeted manner. These zones are, however, from a phytopathologicalpoint of view especially sensitive and must, for protection of thecultivation against infection, be reliably treated.

From U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,423 A1, there is, further, a solution known inwhich the individual circulating laser sensors are used for detection offoliage and can be used for the control of an agricultural spray deviceusing an output signal which can be employed to control the sprayprocess. In this spray process a pulsed laser beam is produced utilizinga pulsed trigger signal, the laser beam being emitted from a sensor. Areceiver collects reflected laser radiation from a point on the targetedtree, whereby the receiver can be provided with an outlet for a selectedpulsed beam representing a transit time which corresponds to the transittime from the target point to the receiver. The pulsed laser beam scansthe foliage of the targeted tree vertically whereby the scanning isdetermined by an angle which corresponds to the angle of the laser beamrelative to a reference angle.

A setting of the sensor during a scanning cycle is determined in whichthe scanning cycle is a complete circuit of the laser beam around theaxis of a spray path in a vertical scanning plane with a setting alongthe axis defined by the spray movement. Then a number of given sprayregions are determined. The spray regions have a predetermined directionand the spray heads arranged on the sprayer open to discharge thesprayed agent. The operating regions, the angle and the spacinginformation are processed by a microprocessor to the appropriatemovement range of the sprayer to take into consideration the tree heightand the corresponding setting of the spray head for this height in ascanning measurement.

The sensor used in this known process includes a laser means fordetermining a range from the sensor to a collection of trees withfoliage lying in a row and along which the sensor is moved and foroutputting the corresponding output data as to this range, which has asensor angle for each data output of the range, means for determining atravel stretch for the sensor along the foliage whereby the travelstretch represents the distance between the sensor spray heads, meansfor processing corresponding output data as to the range and the travelpath for determining the presence and the signature of the detectedfoliage, whereby the processing means outputs control signals forconventional agricultural sprayers.

With this known solution, entire foliages or crowns or shadow areas canbe recognized as units, with the aid of which the nozzles for applyingthe spray agent can be switched. Neither gaps within these units whichtake into consideration the development of the vegetation of the plantsand their structural information nor information as to the depth of theleaf walls are considered. This means that the application of the sprayagent is not spatially specific to the requirements of the plants andremains inexact, as a result of which the spray agent consumption may becorrespondingly excessive or ineffective. This known solution istherefore only suitable for very high cultivations with a very large rowspacing and upright plants, individually separated in each row.

Furthermore all of these known solutions for the measurement of travelrequire wheel sensors for a vehicle wheel. The rolling wheel onunconsolidated, differently structured surfaces, continuously undergoesslip which, depending upon the arrangement of the sensors and thenozzles, can give rise to errors with respect to the targeting precisionin the application of the sprayed agent. Rolling movements of thesprayer during its travel over the unconsolidated traveled way givesrise to lateral dislocation of the individual sensors when these arelocated above or below the rolling center of gravity. This contributesto errors in the distance measurement as a function of the sensorposition relative to the rolling center of gravity. The referencemeasurement points of the individual sensors shift vertically on thefoliage wall which can encompass other surfaces than the zones ofinterest.

In the treatment of the spray edge zone of a plant crown, the rollingmovement either gives rise to overspray of the leaf walls or a failureto treat the phytophylogically sensitive peak regions sufficiently atall with the spray agent.

DE 197 26 917 A1 describes a method for the contactless scanning ofcontours in which the contours above the ground are detected by means ofa laser beam transmitter/receiver device which, while the agriculturalmachine is traveling, continuously detects distances to the contouracross the scanning width and stores the values thereof. With a timingunit, a position determination is made.

In DE 44 34 042 C2, an arrangement for the contactless detection oftravel related data from spatially separated objects is obtained whichmove along a travel path, street or track branch as monitoring surfaces,in which a laser, a light receiver and an evaluation device are providedwhich carry out a distance measurement by means of optical transit timemeasurement, and can be provided with a scanning device which sodeflects the laser beam that this describes the envelope of a cone inits circulatory movement, the axis of symmetry and this cone beingorthogonal to or inclined to the monitoring surface.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

In view of this state of the art the invention has as its object toimprove upon a method and a system of the type described at the outsetwherein the stand of planting is sensed in a spatial gap-free manner andthe effect of the ground condition and plant condition can be taken intoconsideration simultaneously with morphological and plant physiologicalcharacteristics in a location-specific and technologically efficientmanner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention will be described in greater detail in the following inconnection with a number of embodiments. The drawing shows:

FIG. 1 a schematic illustration of the sensor according to theinvention,

FIG. 1 a a schematic illustration of the arrangement of the sensor onthe carrier,

FIG. 2 a schematic illustration of the scanning of a stand of plantswith laser beams,

FIGS. 3, 3 a and 3 b the process structure and the sequence of themethod according to the invention, and

FIG. 4 a diagram of the fundamentals of the ring storage used.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION Example 1

The method according to the invention is initially described withrespect to a region with uniformly disposed plants of a limited areacultivation like wine grapes.

The system according to the invention for the volume specificapplication of spray agents, for treatment and for processing of plantsin a limited area cultivation whose individual plants are disposed closetogether in rows defining travel paths between them is comprisedbasically of a traveling carrier 1, for example a tractor, whichsupports a spray unit 2, a blower for generating a two-phase flow, acentral laser sensor 3 which rotates during travel of the carrier alongthe traveling path and a computer for processing all of the dataobtained by the sensor. A container for receiving a spray agent belongsto the sprayer 2 together with a feed pump for displacing the sprayagent to the spray nozzle, and valves for opening and closing thenozzles. When the agricultural or soil-working] implements are used,these are fastened correspondingly to the traveling carrier 1.

The sensor 3 comprises, as has been schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1and 1 a, a mirror 4′ which is arranged to rotate about an axis A. Themirror is inclined differently or at different angles] to the rotationalaxis A and is configured as a shaped mirror. In this embodiment themirror 4′ is so constructed from pie-shaped circular segments 5 and 6that the segment 5 has an inclination of 45° with respect to therotational axis A and the segment 6, an inclination of 67.5° withrespect to the rotational axis A, i.e. 22.5° to a normal to therotational axis A.

The sensor 3 is comprised of a radiation source 7 and a receiver 8. Therotary displacement of the mirror 4′ is followed by a rotational anglemeasurement. Light pulses produced by the radiation source 7 aredistributed via the deflection mirror 4 and the shaped mirror 4′ inspace within the travel path. The objects which are encountered by theradiation beam (foliage walls, leaves, stems shoots and the like)reflect the radiation back via the deflecting mirror 4 and the shapedmirror 4′ and this radiation is focused by an optical system 9 onto thereceiver 8.

So that the sensor 3 has a free field of view or aperture] for thetransmission and received beams, it must be so fixed on the carrier 1that a sufficient field of view is ensured. The sensor 3 acquires theplants of the strand laterally and above the sprayer 2 in a grid oflaser scan points which, as the carrier 1 advances along its travelpath, passes in a strip shape in a helical pattern along the plant row.With an angular resolution of, for example 1°, vertical spacing of thescanning point of several cm on the foliage of plant rows with a rowspacing of 5 m is possible without further effort. In this examplemeasured values of a grid pattern of about 5×5 cm can be resolved with ahigh degree of resolution with travel speeds usually of 1 to 8 km/h.

The laser beam is so deflected in the travel direction vertically andforwardly to the side that it sweeps over a conical surface segment openin the travel direction. This part of the laser beam encounters thelower regions of the plants along a line which encompasses objects lyingnext to one another horizontally. The part of the conical surfacesegment which in the travel direction lies furthest verticallyintersects the ground and forms the apex of hyperbola. Naturally theinvention also includes an arrangement in which the laser beam can bedeflected opposite to the travel direction.

The rotational axis A of the shaped mirror 4′ lies eccentrically in thebeam path 10 of the sensor 3. Because of this eccentricity, theradiation-sweep plane of the emitted radiation oscillates by an amountcorresponding to the eccentricity perpendicular to the main plane H. Acorresponding offset is thus superimposed on the conical surface. Theamplitude of the offset follows a full sine curve during one revolutionof the shaped mirror 4′

Coarse values can be obtained with the aid of the distance measurementto further removed objects. Objects which lie laterally in the field ofview of the sensor 3 give rise to offsets relative to the position ofthe sensor from one angle segment to another whereby the path can bedetermine when the distance to the observed object is known. In the caseof structures with multiple shapes like the foliage walls of plantstands in a limited field culture, the distance measurement must allowfor a selection of significant objects by a filtering of the informationwith respect to the distance to objects which are recognizable laterallyof the carrier 1.

The beam from the pulsed infrared laser source is, as illustrated inFIG. 2, deflected by the rotating shaped mirror 4′ for the upperscanning space by about preferably 90° from the beam direction and isdistributed in a radiation plane in a circular pattern. The infraredlaser source 7 is thus so pulsed that, by means of the shaped mirrorwith a quasiuniform angular positioning (ratio of the light speed to theangular velocity of the mirror), the reflection signal from thebeam-acquired objects is returned back to the receiver 8 of the sensor3. The scanned region of the sensor does not lie in a single plane andencompasses a solid angle of more than one-quarter of a sphericalsegment.

Starting from one position on the carrier 1, the scan runs to the sideand upwardly in a plane and for this region there is an angle of 45°between the shaped mirror 4′ and the rotational axis A. In the traveldirection the laser beam is deflected over a reflection angle of >45°.Thus the beam sweeps a conical surface which is directed forwardly inthe direction of the travel path from the apex of the cone, whereby theconical axis intersects the travel path in the center of the track ofthe carrier 1 ahead of the latter. With the conical surface, the plantrows on the sides (independently from mirror angle and position) arescanned from a region of the beam in an approximately horizontal path orslightly inclined path. In this region, the movement of individualobjects (trunks, grape stalks, tree poles or the like) or structures(crown volume, front contours of the crown or the like) are so followed,that the structures are determined therefrom and the pattern of thestructures relative to the carrier are recognized. From this thedistance in the row is determined. Since the plants are cultivated foryears in the same places, these positions can be ascertained from theknown locations of the plants and the distance therefrom to the carrierand an identification of the plants can be effected. Errors in bothmeasurements can be corrected by appropriate logic.

The scanning plane of the radiation path with a 45° inclined mirror 4′,acquires the plants, especially wine grapes, in a pergola configurationor a Mediterranean arrangement with a hollow crown in a verticaldirection laterally and above the carrier in a closed arc. Because ofthe eccentricity, the beam in the course of mirror rotation hassuperimposed thereon the afore described sinusoidal offset perpendicularto the travel curve. The amplitude is determined by the eccentricity ofthe mirror angle. Because of the rotational movement of the mirror 4′,the offset has always the same magnitude at each location of the travelcurve and since this is taken into consideration, the offset does notbring with it any functional disadvantage.

For the localization and measurement of plants and determination of theposition of a carrier 1 with a spray device 2 for applying a spray agentin row cultivation, the mirror 4′ of the sensor 3 is so configured thata planar and a spatially curved region can be used. The shape and extentof the planar mirror region determines the optical characteristics ofthe sensor 3 in terms of range and sensitivity. A spatially highresolution light-point grid (raster) of a laser beam from a centralradiation source 7 avoids measurement errors which can arise whenindividual sensors are arranged along a line at different positions andas a result of the travel motion of the carrier.

The central sensor 3 can be positioned in this example in the region ofthe center of gravity of the carrier so that translation movements andradiation movements of the sensor itself as a consequence of intrinsicmovements of the carrier 1 can be taken into consideration andcorrected.

The space curve with which the region-around the carrier 1 ahead of,laterally of and above the carrier 1 is observed, has in the region ofthe transition from one mirror segment to the other, reduced opticalpower. In this region, the stand of plants is always positionedespecially close to the sensor 3 so that a reduced optical power is nota problem.

The arrangement of the sensor 3 is possible both on the carrier 1 andupon the implement.

The sensor 3 can not only be used to control the application of sprayagents but is also capable of being used for horticultural purposes inlimited area cultivation, nonuniform plantings with trees, shrubs,bushes or the like which today are monitored with different sensors andfeelers to detect the grape stalks and trunks and are used for control(mowing, cutting of stalks, binding, deleafing of foliage regions,undercutting of weeds of the rows between trunks or stalks, mulchingwith grass and with pieces of wood, loosening, sowing, fertilizing andtransport). It can especially be used to control the displacement ofcomplete grape harvesters (number, color, ripeness and the like).

The system according to the invention is capable of use for automaticapplication processes. It eliminates the need for adjustment at thesensor and the carrier. The data acquired with the system according tothe invention and such information is useful especially advantageouslyfor stock taking. Especially in the intensive cultivation of fruit,grapes and hops, many different factors can be introduced and combinedin order to achieve given production targets, including for example,cutting, binding, deleafing, thinning out of fruit, watering,fertilizing and the like. So that certain factors or combinations offactors can be used, the actual situation in the cultivation on the onehand and on the other, the expected or planned development of plantsthemselves as well as the environmental conditions including weathering,must be taken into consideration or are of significance. When the farmerwho has to make decisions can access precise information as to thestatus of his plant stand, his decisions are more sound and the risk oferroneous decisions is minimal. Technologically precise and reproduciblemeasurement relative to the sizes of plants, which can be fullydocumented over long time periods, are extremely convenient and wheneasily made available can be of great utility.

Men have been cultivating groves of fruit for millennia based uponhorticultural factors like cultivation techniques, training and breedingintensively as matched to local conditions including soil, climate andlocation.

With the aid of the method of the invention and the sensor,georeferenced, locally specific data as to plants can be acquired andused as the basis for a cultivation matched to the locality withoptimization of the horticultural processes and handling for theindividual plants. For example, with the method according to theinvention, the effects of plant protective agents which are used and/orother cultivation features on the plants which are subjected to thetreatment, can be determined under the prevailing conditionsindividually, these conditions including the type of plant, thecultivation, training, fertilization, the climatic conditions,weathering. With this information it is possible to determine dosagesfor future treatments of the same plant stand with compatibleindications so that dosages and application timing of a particularcomposition or any preparation or other treatment features can beoptimized with respect to cost and effectiveness, but also taking intoconsideration resistance induction and crop yield. This allows alsolocal dosing in individual partial dosages under different treatmentconditions or positions and carrying out of horticultural operations asa function of the immediate requirements on individual plants at theirindividual locations.

With the method according to the invention, it is possible to deriveboth local distribution of biological and phytophysiological signaturesas well as a distribution in time with each travel of the apparatusthrough the stand of plants. It is thus possible to acquire and followthe effects of various factors and the prevalent boundary conditions ofindividual plants together with the measurements with time. It is alsopossible to compare the influence of weathering on the effectivenessover the years and to evaluate it.

With the method of the invention, whose sequence is schematicallyillustrated in FIG. 3, 3 a and 3 b, different stands of plants can beevaluated in a spatial manner and characterized from the point of viewof morphology and physiology. The following morphological parameters ofa stand of plants can be obtained:

Location of the objects, spacing of the objects and angular position ofthe objects with respect to the center,

Contour of the leaf crown (from the course of the spacing measurements),

Volume of the crown from the contour (based upon the assumption that thesighting or target is substantially symmetrical to the row center),

The location of the row center form the location of the foliage peaksand the trunks/stalks relative to the travel path,

Density from the spacing distribution relative to the dominating frontside signal (view through the structure of the foliage wall withimpingement on the rear side with exclusion of impingement on objectslying further away by background masking or cancellation),

Density, especially foliage density, i.e. area obstruction of the leavesin the leaf wall of structure-forming crowns (without trees), sproutgrowth or comparison of contour and volume measurements with time,

Number of fruit of sufficient fruit size,

Yield in number of fruit per area and per plant.

As physiological parameters, the following are acquired:

Color from the level of the reflection signals based upon the assumptionthat the objects are similarly colored and that comparable distancesfrom the sensor are comparably reflective. The absolute color is thusnot of interest but rather the relative course of the signal is ofinterest as a measure of the saturation of green coloration and thus thenumber of chlorophyll cells. This distribution gives an indication ofthe plant feeding or the distribution thereof over the area of thecultivation. From the color distribution, especially in the blossomingof fruit trees, the distribution of the blossom density can be taken asan indicator of the alternance of the trees and the treatment to bematched thereto.

Vitality derived from the color distribution,

Vitality based upon the fluorescence spectrum upon evaluation of thereflection radiation.

At a known spacing from an object, the reflection level of the receivedsignal is a measure of the color, orientation and optical surfacecharacteristics of the reflecting object. By analysis of the signallevel, a distribution of the optical signal over the area can bedetermined and used as a measurement for the vitality.

Natural green from a plant reflects light from the lower infraredportion of the spectrum significantly better than other objects (greenpeak in the reflection spectrum). This is dependent upon the type, thenutritive situation of the plants or the degree of ripeness of the fruitand so forth. If the degree of reflection of different lower infraredspectra are compared, it is possible to distinguish betweenchlorophyll-retaining enlivened plant parts and object retaining lesschlorophyll like ripened fruit and objects which are notchlorophyll-retaining like fence posts.

The evaluation and utilization of signal level information presupposesthat influences of the distance to the target object which can give riseto a spreading of the radiation and the reduction of the signal level istaken into consideration at increasing distances.

Differences in the reflection signal level can then be quantifiable whenthe spacing information is taken into consideration and it is understoodthat it represents comparable target objects, for example leaves of acomparable vegetation stand upon travel through that stand. Signal levelmeasured values at comparable measurement distances supply basicinformation as to color-dependent cultivation characteristics which canbe taken into consideration during the working of the cultivation.Without a differentiation between different spectra, one can obtainindirectly through the course of the reflection signal level in space,an indication as to the distribution of vitality based upon thechlorophyll activity.

A laser beam encounters upon irradiation of a natural foliage wallindividual or multiple leaves or sprouts in a random manner. Thisrequires a special assignment of the corresponding distance informationto the individual objects encountered by the beam. For this purpose, amultiplicity of timing circuits are started simultaneously when the beamis transmitted. Each timing circuit has another level value at which thetime is stopped (cascade). With this system, a multiplicity of transittimes are measured for different reflection angles. The distance topartly encountered objects is thus determined. With the aid of such anarrangement it is possible to detect whether a particular reflectionlevel arises from a target object alone or from various objects, inwhich case the value is reduced. The vitality indication can thus beformed exclusively from reliable reflection values of individualobjects.

The object color in plant cultivations varies within a stand of plantsin the green region of the spectrum (yellow green, deep green, bluegreen, etc.) or in the case of a blossoming stand of apple trees in awhite-pink region.

From this it can be determined if color variations or signal variationsoccurring in large volumes have their origins in local conditions orconditions associated with plant structural features. Differences whichare derived from small volumes are associated with plant physiologicalorigins and can be the basis for differences in the application of plantprotective agents or the selection of horticultural operations andprocedures.

The natural leaves fluoresce when they are irradiated with laser light.From the signal level and the frequency, conclusions as to vitality canalso be drawn.

In FIGS. 3, 3 a and 3 b, the course of the method according to theinvention has been schematically diagramed. The stand of plants isscanned with the laser sensor 3 as has been described previously and thetravel data, position data and target location data as data as to thestand are interpreted in a data preprocessor and subjected to a datacompression. From these data, the upper contour of the plant standincluding gaps is determined. There is then a determination of the lowercontour. In a further operating step, the median planes, the crownvolume, the front contours and nonuniformities (FIG. 3 b) aredetermined. All of these data are conditioned and fed to a ring memoryand are stored therein in intermediate storage. The ring memory isdefined from position to position, whereby the number of increments ofthe ring storage is greater than the number of increments whichcorrespond to the spacing between sensor and nozzles. A multiplicity ofring memories are provided for different data components. The differentring memories give the data various ring storage positions free. Thedata required for the respective treatment position is selected from thering memories whereby the positions of the ring memories are determinedby the travel position, location position, the distance to the targetand the height of the position under consideration (beam deformation)(see FIG. 4).

Example 2

The method according to the invention is employed for the treatment orworking of such plants which in practice do not grow in a regular mannerin rows. Initially a travel path as a reference is made through a firsttransit of the stand of plants based upon objects such as trees or thelike which lie along the travel path and are of a marked or strikingnature. The localization of these objects allows repetitive travel alongthis track, for example, in deep forests, in old olive groves or citrusgardens.

The large trees are measured and estimated with the sensor 3. AS thevehicle travels through, the light point grid sweeps the laterally lyingvertical objects in a close three-dimensional sequence. The inclinedscanning plane ensures that a trunk is scanned from the top down inplanar disk-shaped scans which are inclined from the upper regiondownwardly and horizontally. The thus detected three-dimensional halfshells of the trunk of the branches projecting therefrom make itpossible to determine the useable volume and the lengths of suchstraight segments. The growth of wood and thus the individual crop yieldof each tree can be determined by repetitive measurement with asufficient spacing in time.

If the sensor 3 is used to gauge trees lined up in a row based upon thebranches extending inwardly into the so-called travel path, the sectionsof the branches can be scanned to select for the individual growth ofthe individual trees, for example based upon different plant structures,reliability considerations or from the point of view of appearance anddead branches removed from consideration or old, sharply hangingbranches, or younger lateral sprouts treated in a targeted manner.

Because of the 3D image of the sensor which can be obtained by themethod according to the invention, the manual operations of treemaintenance can be automated and optimized in different directions.Comparable applications of the system according to the invention arepossible for the harvesting of large plants, for example bananaplantations, cacao trees or in natural rubber plantations.

The mentioned applications of the method according to the inventionfollows a particular travel path along which the plants are detected,localized and measured with the position determination of the plantsdescribed in detail previously, the travel track later can be reproducedin nonconsolidated tracts. On the basis of a multiplicity ofdeterminations at different points in time of the three dimensionalscenery encompassing the plants, an evaluation and selection of thefeatures of significance can be made like the removal of certain plants(trees), plant parts (branches, fruit and the like).

Example 3

An obvious other application of the method of the invention, namely thepicking of grapes, follows the procedure outlined in Example 2. Acarrier 1 travels repeatedly along the same tracks and determinesmorphological and physiological signatures and the surrounding vines.From a comparison of the individual grape branches, the grapes areidentified and based upon their reflection levels and their size,determinations are made as to a certain taste, degree of ripeness andmaterial content.

With the localization of such grapes, geometric localization data isavailable relative to the sensor which can be used for controlling aharvesting gripper including shears for the separation of table grapesfrom the vine or the harvesting of wine grapes.

The mechanical picking of bunches of grapes with so-called full grapeharvesters, requires from the driver of the vehicle high concentrationover long periods of time to guide the harvester in a centered mannerover the plant rows such that a full harvester will be effective on bothsides of the plant row with its shaking units symmetrically so that thepicking is effective and the vines are completely harvested.

The system according to the invention enables the full harvester to beso guided between the vines that the shaking elements follow individualplants in their engagement geometries since the grapes ripen on the vinestalks at different heights, in different densities and number, thetargeted spatial guidance of the picking elements of a full harvesterincreases the useful production of undamaged picked products (berries)and reduces the amount of vine twigs and plant parts which are shakenoff the vines.

The grape picking thus can utilize physiological data of the grapes andcan be carried out in multiple passes, each partially removing thegrapes, including for example a prepicking and a final picking, leadingoverall to an exceptionally complete harvest.

Analogously to the picking, the binding of the vine in the production ofwine grapes utilizing a binding implement displace-able along the row ispossible. This implement can be mounted at the front of the carrier andarranged in the field of view of the travel so that the travel along therows is effected utilizing the steering. Irregularities in the traveledtrack which previously could not have been detected by the driver nortaken into consideration to avoid collections of the plants and of theapparatus, including possible damage to the apparatus in the past couldnot be avoided. With the solution according to the invention, the binderimplement can be guided above and along the row so that all overhangingparts are acquired and collisions with the posts of the plant supportsand the wires stretched between the posts can be reliably avoided.

Example 4

The method of the invention can be used in fruit orchard layouts. Allprevious features of pruning, binding and harvesting are applicable tothe individual fruit, the individual branch or limb. Pruning actions onfruit trees are usually carried out in the winter on fruit trees afterloss of their leaves. The resulting transparency of the structureforming fruit trees allows the measurement and evaluation of thebranches and limbs. The evaluation of the plant structure of each branchor limb requires a recognition of the edge thereof, its configurationand orientation to the trunk and its relationship to the sap flow. Thehistory of the branching of an individual plant for pruning purposes canbe obtained and the contribution to the visible blossom shoots preciselydetermined and evaluated. The localization of a pruning implementprojecting from the carrier is possible with the aid of the aforedescribed 3D data in the same manner as the individual grape bunches arepicked or for targeted deleafing for apple/citrus fruit harvesting. Inthe working of fruit or vineyard cultivations with the method of theinvention, the soil-working and undergrowth maintenance is included inthe travel of the apparatus through the plant stand. With the ringstorage described in greater detail in FIG. 4, control of soil-workingtools and undergrowth maintenance tools is possible in the same way ashas been described for the application of fertilizers for materialseffected on the plants.

1. A method of treating the ground and plants as required and in avolume-specific manner, in uniformly or nonuniformly planted areas inwhich the plants are scanned with a monochromatic pulsed laser beamdisplaced past the plants and circulating adjacent the plants whileaffixed to a traveling carrier, the radiation spectrum reflected fromthe leaf structures being picked up by a sensor and the acquiredspectrum being converted into optical signals and these signals beingfed to a computer which stores the signal, evaluates them forcontrolling the application/dosing of the spray agent doses as afunction of the vegetation state or the working of the soil and thetreatment of the plants as well as the harvest by outputting ofswitching commands to control the spray device arranged upon thetraveling carrier and blowers or working implements, characterized bythe following steps a) generating a reference track in the area with afirst transit with determination of the positions and localization ofcharacteristic referenced objects adjacent the track; b) scanning theplants in reference to the reference track trace by transmitting anoscillating pulsed laser beam in a somewhat horizontal or slightlyinclined path forwardly, laterally and above the carrier in a conicalsurface segment open in the travel direction and forming a space curvewhich encounters the plant rows by forward travel of the carrier in asomewhat spiral shape, the laser beam producing in space a highlyresolved light point grid or raster upon the plants in differentscanning planes; c) starting one or more time-measurement circuitssimultaneously in time with the emission of the laser beam according tostep b), the time measurement circuits being associated with differentlevel values; d) stopping the time-measurement circuits upondetermination of the different reflection levels of the reflectedradiation components from the light point grid or raster for separate orcommon determination of travel data, position data and target locationdata, picking up the radiation component through the sensor transmittingthe radiation and feeding the signals over a receiver unit whichdetermines the transit times of the signals from the signals in theconverted data of the computer and depositing the data in a ring memoryof the computer; e) determining the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the plant stand or of the individual plants from thedata according to step d); and f) correcting the position of the spraydevice and the blower or of the working implements by compensating fordeviations in the travel data, position data and target-location data asa result of rolling movements, undulating movements and pitchingmovements of the carrier, and g) enabling the metering, the nature andextent of the working corresponding to step e) and f) and control of thespray device for applying the spray agent or the working implements. 2.A method according to claim 1 wherein as the laser radiation, aradiation with a wavelength of 700 to 1000 nm is used.
 3. A methodaccording to claim 1 wherein from the data of step d) information as totarget areas of the plants, as to the planting, structure and topographyof the stand and the undergrowth, are determined.
 4. A method accordingto claim 1 wherein parts of the plants are distinguished with thesensor.
 5. The method according to claim 1 characterized in that theobjects distinguished by the sensor are support frames, posts or wiresor cables spanning posts.
 6. The method according to claim 1characterized in that the environmental structures distinguished by thesensor are the ground, ground profile, landscape markers, buildings,structures, walls, roads and fencing or enclosures.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1 characterized in that a contactless measurement oftravel is carried out with the sensor.
 8. The method according to claim7 characterized in that in the travel of the carrier through a stand ofplants the travel displacement measurement is set at zero at significantlocations.
 9. The method according to claim 7 characterized in that theactual position of the carrier after a first transit through the standof plants is compared with the known position and layout of the standand corrected.
 10. The method according to claim 7 characterized in thatwith the measurement of travel, differences in the measured values ofthe left and right rows of the stand along the traveled trace aredetermined and movements about an upright axis and in curved travel areestablished.
 11. The method according to claim 7 characterized in thatthe displacement information for determining the travel is obtained froma recognition of tree trunks, vine stalks or plant stakes.
 12. Themethod according to claim 7 characterized in that the displacementinformation for determining the travel is obtained by following thesprouting tips of the individual plants.
 13. The method according toclaim 7 characterized in that the displacement information fordetermining the travel is obtained by following the front horizontalcross sectional contours of the planting.
 14. The method according toclaim 7 characterized in that the displacement measurement is obtainedby following vertical objects during travel through the scanning fieldof the sensor, whereby the objects during travel through the scanningfield of the sensor, whereby the objects are acquired at differentheights one after another in a timed relationship and the detected timeintervals provides a measurement of the speed.
 15. The methods accordingto claim 7 characterized in that the displacement measurement is carriedout independently of the travel speed.
 16. The method according to claim7 characterized in that all evaluation methods for determination of thetravel information are collected and correlated with old data as to thestand of plants.
 17. The method according to claim 1 characterized inthat the position of the sensor along the travel path in a predeterminedposition is measured and stored.
 18. The method according to claim 17characterized in that the position of the sensor and the displaceablecarrier is measured progressively along the travel path at allpositions.
 19. The method according to claim 17 characterized in thatthe actual measurement location of the carrier and the location of thestored predetermined position of the sensor are compared as soon as thecarrier has traveled a distance which corresponds to the distancebetween the sensor and the nozzles or the working implements.
 20. Themethod according to claim 1 characterized in that the location of theaxis of the carrier relative to the frame is corrected to compensate forrolling movement.
 21. The method according to claim 1 characterized inthat the location of the carrier about the vertical axis is adjusted tocompensate for pitch movements.
 22. The method according to claim 1characterized in that the location of the transverse axis of the carrieris adjusted to compensate for travel relevant errors by shiftingforwardly or rearwardly the spray zone (pitching) relative to a centerof gravity.
 23. The method according to claim 1 characterized in thatthe location of the target point is determined by measurement of thedistances between target surfaces and the sensor.
 24. The methodaccording to claim 1 characterized in that the working of the soilincludes a loosening, crumbling, furrow formation, or an effect on thefertilization or temperature.
 25. The method according to claim 1characterized in that the underground maintenance is carried out bymowing, mulching, chopping erosion protection, shielding from the sun,covering or the influencing of the microclimate thereof.
 26. The methodaccording to claim 1 characterized in that the horticultural operationson the plants include a cutting, binding, a shaping, a trunk trimming,clearing, collaring, root cutting or harvesting.
 27. The methodaccording to claim 26 characterized in that the cutting is a coarsecutting, fine cutting, shaping, limb removal, topping, cordon cutting,hop cutting or fruit tree pruning.
 28. The method according to claim 1claims wherein in the harvest of fruit, a distinction is made betweengrape harvest and fruit harvesting.
 29. The method according to claim 1characterized in that a distinction is made between fruit to beharvested, shoots or plant elements which are to be removed.
 30. Themethod according to claim 1 characterized in that in the sorting adistinction is made between fruit or in the classification of the fruit.31. A system for carrying out the method according to claim 1 with atraveling carrier, a sensor affixed to the carrier with a radiationsource for transmitting a pulsed laser beam, a mirror rotatable about avertical axis for training the beam onto a foliage wall, a radiationreceiver for collecting the radiation reflected from the foliage wall, acomputer for processing the reflected radiation and for controllingnozzles affixed to the carrier of a spray device with a supply vesselfor the spray agent whereby the nozzles are arranged at a certaindistance from the sensor, a liquid pump for displacing the spray agentto the nozzles, valves for opening and closing the nozzles and a blowerfor producing a two phase flow characterized in that mirror (4′) isconfigured as a shaped mirror having a partial region (5, 6), inclinedat different triangles with respect to the rotational axis of the mirror(4′) is arranged eccentrically to the radiation path (10) of the emittedradiation and received radiation.
 32. A system according to claim 31characterized in that the mirror (4′) is configured with pie shapedcircular segments of which one segment is at an inclination angle of 45°with respect to a normal to the rotation axis A of the mirror.
 33. Asystem according to claim 31 characterized in that the radiation path iscoaxial with the rotation axis of the mirror.
 34. A system according toclaim 31 characterized in that the radiation source is provided with atleast one time measurement circuit triggerable by a light pulse.
 35. Theapparatus according to claim 31 wherein the receiver is provided with atleast one device for acquiring the transit time.
 36. A system accordingto the claim 31 characterized in that the optics for the radiationconfiguration is arranged spatially fixed between the radiationsource/receiver and the mirror.
 37. A system according to claim 31characterized in that the sensor follows the movement of the carrierduring travel without a lag.
 38. A system according to claim 31characterized in that the axis of the sensor is arranged in a forwardlyinclined direction.
 39. A system for carrying out the method accordingto claim 1 with a traveling carrier, a sensor affixed to the carrierwith a radiation source for emitting a pulsed laser beam, a mirrorrotatable about a vertical axis for training the radiation on a foliagewall, a radiation receiver for collecting the radiation reflected fromthe foliage wall, a computer for processing the reflected radiation andfor controlling at least one agricultural implement affixed to thecarrier, whereby the implement devices are spaced at a given distancefrom the sensor wherein the mirror (4′) is configured as a shapedmirror, whose partial regions (5, 6) are inclined with different anglesto the rotational axis (A) and the rotational axis of the mirror (4′) iseccentric to the radiation path (10) of the emitted radiation andcollected radiation.
 40. A system according to claim 39 characterized inthat as the agricultural implement, a cutting device, a digging device,an excavating device, an undercutting device, a binder device, a shapingdevice, a clearing device, a shaking device, a sorting device or acomplete harvesting device, is provided.